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Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for PlayStation 2
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for PlayStation 2 is about finding space before the defence closes it down. You build attacks with short passes, send a teammate forward and decide when to accelerate or cross. Players differ in technique, speed and shooting power, so the same action does not produce the same result with every footballer. A well-chosen run often helps more than constant sprinting. Without the ball, you switch defenders, close a passing lane and choose the moment to challenge.
Master League connects matches to building a club. You manage transfers, consider your squad's fitness and try to improve over several seasons. World Tour offers individual challenges with specific match conditions, such as winning by a certain margin. Sometimes this demands immediate attacking, while at other times you must protect a lead. Training helps you practise set pieces and ball control. Edit lets you adjust players and teams, since not every side has the same official licences.
Selection Match assembles mixed teams from a chosen group of players, while Community records results and standings between participants. Up to eight players can take part simultaneously locally, controlling a team together or facing one another. Each participant needs a controller. Two controllers work without an expansion; three to five players require one PS2 Multitap and six to eight require two. In these shared matches, coordinating pressure and the use of space becomes particularly important.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 2 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for PlayStation 2 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
Konami released Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for PlayStation 2 in Europe in 2007. The title referred to the upcoming football season, not the European release year. It succeeded Pro Evolution Soccer 6 in a series that had already accumulated several annual editions on the console. The name changed from a sequence number to a year. This altered the wording on the box, while Master League, direct team control and player editing remained important elements.
This edition appeared as the series was also reaching new hardware. Local multiplayer remained an important element on PS2, with several people cooperating or facing one another during the same match. World Tour gave familiar matches a different structure through predetermined objectives. Community allowed recurring meetings with friends to be followed as a competition of their own. Selection Match added surprising team combinations without requiring you to transfer every footballer manually first.
Master League also kept the longer term in view. Match income, player development and signings made a season more than a collection of isolated results. Konami additionally connected the PS2 and PSP editions through transferable progress for several competitions. This suited a period when a saved football campaign was becoming relevant both at home and on the move. Within the PS2 series, PES 2008 thus bridges the numbered predecessors and later annual editions with more extensive individual careers.
Similar games for PlayStation 2
Pro Evolution Soccer 6 for PS2 shares direct team control and Master League with PES 2008. Passing, receiving and creating space remain the foundations of an attack in both games. One difference lies in the structure of the additional challenges: PES 6 has International Challenge, following a national team, while World Tour in PES 2008 offers tasks with individual match conditions. One therefore lends itself more to a continuous national-team journey and the other to clearly defined objectives.
PES 2009 for PS2, like PES 2008, builds on team football, transfers and editing squads. Both also offer World Tour, so not every session needs to span a whole season. The European edition of PES 2009 adds a distinctly different perspective through Become a Legend: you follow one created footballer instead of continually controlling the whole side. With World Tour, Community and Master League, PES 2008 places more emphasis on matches and teams as a whole.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 for PS2 retains the familiar match and Master League structure but gives continental tournaments a more prominent place. It lets you play the official UEFA Champions League and Copa Libertadores. PES 2008 also has cups and leagues, but not this combination of official tournaments. PES 2011 additionally offers both a created-player career and World Player with an existing footballer. For those who mainly want changing mixed teams, Selection Match appears in both editions.
Pro Evolution Soccer Management for PS2 shares the attention to formations, transfers and club development found in PES 2008's Master League. However, the way you influence matches differs considerably. Management lets you make decisions as a coach without executing every pass and tackle yourself. PES 2008 instead connects club management to direct control on the pitch. This means you can not only prepare a tactical plan but also carry it out with the ball during the match.
RedCard for PS2, like PES 2008, uses eleven-player teams and recognisable football actions, but deliberately pursues hard-hitting arcade play. Heavy tackles and the Momentum meter drive much of its spectacle. PES 2008 asks for more attention to building attacks, individual players' abilities and maintaining a team structure. Long-term club development in Master League also serves a different purpose from unlocking surprises in RedCard. The similarity lies on the pitch; the pace and rewards differ.
